Method of and system for conducting multiple contests of skill with a single performance

ABSTRACT

A method of and system for conducting multiple competitions of skill for a single performance are described herein. User generated competition groups and system generated competition groups allow users to participate in multiple competitions at once based on answering the same questions or making the same selections related to a single event. The users are informed of each competition either via email, text message or when logging into the network via a website. The users select which competitions groups to join. After joining the desired groups, the users then make their selections related to the event which are transmitted to the network where results are tabulated and transmitted back to the users. The results are separated based on each competition group, so that users can continually know where they stand in each separate competition. With multiple competition groups, users are able to have varying success from the same performance in multiple competitions.

RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This Patent Application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/956,619, filed on Apr. 18, 2018, titled “METHODOF AND SYSTEM FOR CONDUCTING MULTIPLE CONTESTS OF SKILL WITH A SINGLEPERFORMANCE” which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/297,040, filed on Oct. 18, 2016, titled “METHOD OF AND SYSTEM FORCONDUCTING MULTIPLE CONTESTS OF SKILL WITH A SINGLE PERFORMANCE” whichis a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/956,217, filedon Dec. 1, 2015, titled “METHOD OF AND SYSTEM FOR CONDUCTING MULTIPLECONTESTS OF SKILL WITH A SINGLE PERFORMANCE” which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/859,554, filed on Apr. 9, 2013,titled “METHOD OF AND SYSTEM FOR CONDUCTING MULTIPLE CONTESTS OF SKILLWITH A SINGLE PERFORMANCE” which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/246,464, filed on Sep. 27, 2011, titled “METHODOF AND SYSTEM FOR CONDUCTING MULTIPLE CONTESTS OF SKILL WITH A SINGLEPERFORMANCE” which is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/215,052, filed Aug. 22, 2011, and titled “METHODOF AND SYSTEM FOR CONDUCTING MULTIPLE CONTESTS OF SKILL WITH A SINGLEPERFORMANCE” which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/652,240, filed on Jan. 10, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,002,618, titled“METHOD OF AND SYSTEM FOR CONDUCTING MULTIPLE CONTESTS OF SKILL WITH ASINGLE PERFORMANCE” which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) ofthe co-owned U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/757,960, filedJan. 10, 2006, and entitled “METHODOLOGY FOR CONDUCTING MULTIPLECONTESTS OF SKILL WITH A SINGLE PERFORMANCE,” all of which are alsohereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of distributed gaming. Morespecifically, the present invention relates to the field of distributedgaming utilizing a mobile device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the United States alone there are over 170 million registeredcellular phones. With the expiration of the U.S. Pat. No. 4,592,546 toFascenda and Lockton, companies are able to now use the cellular phoneand other mobile communication devices utilizing a multicast network tocontrol television viewers in games of skill based upon predicting, forexample, what the quarterback may call on the next play within afootball game. In addition, games of skill with a common start time canbe conducted simultaneously among cellular phone owners, based onclassic card, dice, trivia, and other games. In order to avoid theanti-gaming laws in the various states, the winners must be determinedby the relative skill, experience and practice of the player in eachdiscrete game.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,913 ('913) to Berner and Lockton provides for acentral computing system which includes a means of grouping participantshaving similar skill levels together in simultaneous, but separate,levels of competition playing an identical game. The relativeperformances are communicated to only those participants competing atthe same skill level. The '913 patent also provides for a wirelessreceiving device to permanently store the specific skill level for eachparticipant for each type of common event such as those based ontelevised sports or game shows. The '913 patent provides for atelephonic link at the completion of the game to collect information andupdate the skill level of the participants of a particular game. When aperson achieves sufficient points or meets other objective criteria tograduate into another skill level, a method is provided foraccomplishing this in the central computer and then transmitting analert to the participant notifying them of their promotion. The '913patent describes awarding prizes and providing recognition for themembers of each discreet skill level in a common game. All users, nomatter what level they are on, receive the same number of questions andthus the possibility of earning the same number of points. Thus directcomparisons between users at different levels, although not encouragedare possible. Such comparisons between players of disparate skills canlead to user discouragement.

Games of skill and chance have an intrinsic excitement and entertainmentvalue. Any game is greatly enhanced by a participant's ability to knowhow their performance compares in relation to other participants and/orto historical performance for the game throughout the contest. As withany game of skill, competition among friends, or with strangers ofsimilar experience, or the ability at ones option, sometimes for anextra consideration, to compete in a separate team or individualcontest, offers the opportunity of increased enjoyment and prizes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method of and system for conducting multiple competitions of skill fora single performance are described herein. User generated competitiongroups and system generated competition groups allow users toparticipate in multiple competitions at once based on answering the samequestions or making the same selections related to a single event. Theusers are informed of the availability of each competition either viaemail, text message or when logging into the network via a website. Theusers select which competitions groups to join. After joining thedesired groups, the users then make their selections related to theevent which are transmitted to the network where results are tabulatedand transmitted back to the users. The results are separated for eachcompetition group, so that users continually know where they stand ineach separate competition. With multiple competition groups, users areable to have varying success from the same performance in multiplecompetitions.

In one aspect, a method of participating in multiple contests of skillcorresponding to an event programmed in a device. The method comprisesreceiving a list of competitive groups to join, selecting a plurality ofcompetitive groups to join, participating with the plurality ofcompetitive groups by sending selections related to the event to aserver and receiving standings on a device from the server, wherein thestandings are based on results from the selections. The event isselected from the group consisting of a television-based sporting event,an entertainment show, a game show, a reality show, a news show, and acommercial contained in a broadcast. The event comprises card, dice,trivia and word games played simultaneously. Receiving the standings onthe device occurs during participating with the plurality of competitivegroups. The standings are separated based on the plurality ofcompetitive groups. The standings are received periodically andrepresent relative performance in the separate competitive groups. Thecompetitive groups are selected from the group consisting of serviceprovider generated competitive groups and user generated competitivegroups. The service provider generated competitive groups are based ongeneral playing characteristics. The user generated competitive groupsincludes contacts on a social networking site. The list of competitivegroups to join is received on the device selected from the groupconsisting of a cellular phone, a laptop computer, a personal computer,PDA and a tablet computer. The competitive groups are maintained in adatabase. In some embodiments, the results are adjusted using a handicapby providing additional points to users in lower level groups. In someembodiments, the method is implemented using HTML5 or a nativeapplication.

In another aspect, a method of conducting multiple contests of skillcorresponding to an event programmed in a device. The method comprisesgenerating separate competitive groups related to the event, coupling toa network to participate in the competitive groups, informing a userwhich of the competitive groups are available for the user to join,joining a selected number of the competitive groups, participating withthe competitive groups by sending selections related to the event to aserver within the network, storing results and standings on the server,wherein the standings are based on the results and the results are basedon the selections and transmitting the standings to a device. A userpays a separate consideration to play in a contest of the multiplecontests of skill through a micropayments system, where a prize issupplemented or funded by an entry fee or consideration paid by all whoparticipate in a group. The method further comprises displaying thestandings on the device. The server contains an application and adatabase for assisting in generating the competitive group. Theapplication includes a graphical user interface. The device contains anapplication for assisting in generating the competitive group.Generating competitive groups related to the event further comprisescoupling to the server, selecting a type of contest and additionalconditions to be included in the competitive group, adding competitorsto the competitive group and selecting the event for competition by thecompetitive group. The type of contest is selected from the groupconsisting of an open contest, a head-to-head contest and a teamcontest. Adding competitors to the competitive group includesidentifying the competitors by an identifier selected from the groupconsisting of a username, an email address, a cellular phone number anda personal identifier. The method further comprises sending aninvitation which informs the competitors of an opportunity to beincluded in the competitive group. The invitation is sent by a mechanismselected from the group consisting of an email, an SMS text message anda voice message. The event is selected from the group consisting of atelevision-based sporting event, an entertainment show, a game show, areality show, a news show and a commercial contained in a broadcast. Theevent comprises card, dice, trivia and word games played simultaneously.Transmitting the standings occurs during participating with thecompetitive groups. The standings are separated based on the competitivegroups. The standings are received periodically and representperformance within the competitive groups. The competitive groups areselected from the group consisting of service provider generatedcompetitive groups and user generated competitive groups. The serviceprovider generated competitive groups are based on general playingcharacteristics. The user generated competitive groups include contactson a social networking site. The device is selected from the groupconsisting of a cellular phone, a laptop computer, a personal computer,PDA and a tablet computer. The competitive groups are maintained in adatabase. The results are adjusted using a handicap by providingadditional points to users in lower level groups. In some embodiments,the method is implemented using HTML5 or a native application.

In another aspect, a server device for conducting multiple contests ofskill corresponding to an event comprises a storage mechanism and anapplication for interacting with the storage mechanism to generate andstore competitive groups which are used to compete in the multiplecontests of skill, the application further for receiving selectionsrelated to the event, storing results and standings based on theselections, wherein the standings are based on the results andtransmitting the standings to the device. The application is further forproviding an interface for generating competitive groups related to theevent. The event is selected from the group consisting of atelevision-based sporting event, an entertainment show, a game show, areality show, a news show and a commercial contained in a broadcast. Theevent comprises card, dice, trivia and word games played simultaneously.The server device communicates data for generating the competitivegroups, for selecting the competitive groups to join and for submittingthe selections. The standings are transmitted periodically to the deviceand represent performance within the competitive groups. The standingsare separated based on the competitive groups. A network identifies thecompetitive groups a user is eligible for. The server device furthercomprises a database stored on the server device for managing theselections, the results, the standings and the competitive groups. Theresults are adjusted using a handicap by providing additional points tousers in lower level groups.

In yet another aspect, a device for participating in multiple contestsof skill corresponding to an event comprises a communications module forcoupling to a server and an application for utilizing the communicationsmodule for coupling to a server to communicate with the server togenerate competitive groups which are used to compete in the multiplecontests of skill. The application utilizes the communications modulefor coupling to the server to send selections to and receive standingsfrom the server. The event is selected from the group consisting of atelevision-based sporting event, an entertainment show, a game show, areality show, a news show and a commercial contained in a broadcast. Theevent comprises card, dice, trivia and word games played simultaneously.The competitive groups comprise user generated competitive groupsincluding contacts on a social networking site. In some embodiments, thedevice and the server implement HTML5.

In another aspect, a method programmed in a memory of a device comprisesgenerating a list of competitive groups to join and presenting the listof competitive groups to join, wherein the list of competitive groupsare for participating in multiple contests of skill corresponding to anevent. Users are provided a currency for watching the event orparticipating in the multiple contests of skill. The currency isredeemable for prizes or services. Each group pools the currencyreceived by users and the currency is distributed to a member of eachgroup. The member is chosen at random. The member is chosen based onskill. Participants in a group of the competitive groups poolsweepstakes entries together and divide a resulting award from thesweepstakes among the participants of the group. A game of skill issynchronized with the event. The game of skill is synchronized with theevent using watermarking or fingerprinting. The multiple contests ofskill are generated by users using a template. Promotional awards areawarded for participating. Frequent player points are offered forparticipating. Users are able to invite other user to a contest of themultiple contests of skill through a social networking site. A user paysa separate consideration to play in a contest of the multiple contestsof skill through a micropayments system, where a prize is supplementedor funded by an entry fee or consideration paid by all who participatein a group.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a flowchart of a process of utilizing the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart of a process of generating a usergenerated competition group.

FIG. 3 illustrates a graphical representation of an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a graphical representation of a network of devices.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A method and system for conducting a variety of competitionssimultaneously are described herein. The organization of competition ina game of skill has previously taken one of three basic formats:

1) Open contests: where large numbers of players enter an event, and allof the entrants are competing against each other for a single prizepool.

2) Head-to-head: where competitors are matched between a relativelysmall number of players identified to compete head-to-head against eachother. The actual match making occurs in many forms, such as match playor elimination tournaments.

3) Team competitions: where two or more people are teamed to compete inhead-to-head elimination against other similar sized teams in match playor total score competitions.

The present invention is a system and method allowing participants tosimultaneously compete in multiple contests based on a singleperformance. For example, a user is able to participate in an opencontest, compete in a team competition, and also compete against a smallgroup of friends all utilizing a score achieved in the same event.

As a comparison, in tournaments held for bowling or golf, players areable to compete simultaneously in a gross score tournament as well as anet (handicap) tournament with the same performance. However, thecontestants in the gross and net competitions are identical. The focusof the present invention is on enabling the entry of an individual inseparate competitions, with separate prizes based on their singleperformance (score), where the pool of entrants is different for eachcompetition.

The default mechanism for organizing a competition for this type of gamein the past has been an open contest where all competitors areautomatically entered in a contest against all other players. As taughtin U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,913, incorporated herein by reference, thecompetitive field of players is also able to be divided into separateflights or groups according to skill and experience and only scores fromother competitions at the same skill level are compared. Thousands ofplayers are able to compete in a particular football game within aparticular skill level. In some embodiments, game data includes alockout signal to prevent improper game inputs by participants. Forexample, a central computer system broadcasts a lockout signal toprevent improper game inputs by participants.

For this example, Player A has been rated as an “intermediate” playerand is competing against 10,000 other “intermediate” players in aninteractive game of skill played with a live Monday Night Footballbroadcast. Prior to the telecast, Player A has arranged a sidecompetition against four of his friends. Player B has organized througha match-making interface, a small competition which includes Players A,B, C, D and E. In this example, Players A and B are intermediateplayers, but Players C, D and E are novice players. Player B has alsoorganized this small competition to require a $2.00 entry fee with awinner-takes-all rule. While none of the competitions require prizes orawards, they are allowable in games of skill.

When Player A logs on to a network supporting mobile games of skill, heis presented with the option of competing in the private separatecontest that Player B set up. Player A agrees to compete with the $2.00entry fee.

Separately, Player A has previously registered to participate in asponsored season long team competition with coworkers F, G and H. Thehighest two scores of their four man team are totaled, and these pointsare added to the season's cumulative score with the highest team scoreswinning prizes. Thus, for a single football game, Player A is registeredin: an open competition where the best competitors win prizes, afriendly competition for a prize pool of $10, and a season long teamcompetition.

During the football game, Player A, like all of the other players, triesto get the best possible score by predicting the plays correctly beforethey happen. He plays in the same manner he would playing in the opencontest alone, but his performance is in fact simultaneously separatelyscored in these completely different competitions against a differentset of opponents for different rewards.

At the end of the event, Player A scored 12,565 points, in this example.That score was in the 92^(nd) percentile among the 10,000 intermediateplayers, but not high enough to win an award in that contest. That samescore of 12,565 was also compared against Players B, C, D and E, and wasthe highest score, so Player A won the separate competition of $10. Atthe same time, Player A's score was the second highest among his teammembers in the separate team competition, and therefore was one whichwas totaled for the season long team competition.

It is essential to the success and enjoyment of such an invention that apotential competitor have an easy method of registering and enteringthese separate competitions on an ad hoc or seasonal basis. In addition,it is important to the success of such a system that all of thecompetitors be able to monitor periodically, not only their ongoingstandings in the overall open competition at their skill level, but theywill be able to periodically review all the competitions they areentered into to see the current standings.

For each of these competitions, there are two ways the group ofattendees are able to be formed: A) organized by the service providerand/or a commercial sponsor or B) organized by the users themselves.Examples of service provider generated groups include those based oncompetitive skill level and region. For example, all intermediateplayers for a specific football game. An example of a user generatedgroup is identifying five friends for a football competition. As eachplayer enters a particular event (e.g. Monday Night Football), they areinformed of the competitions they are playing in (e.g. IntermediateGlobal competition, the California Bay Area competition, and thepersonal Group competition). Each group is able to have a generic nameand/or a specific name such as “personal group competition 1” or “Bob'sCompetition.” When a player's phone or computing device establishes aconnection with the network (e.g. the Airplay Network), the networkidentifies all of the groups that this player is able to compete in, andthe server will upload this information to the phone over a cellularconnection for display to the user. When a user couples to the networkwith a computing device other than a cellular phone, the information isavailable through the Internet. In some embodiments, participation invarious group competitions involves additional fees. Users have theability to choose not to compete in any or all of the groups they havebeen invited to.

There are two classes of Groups: System Generated Groups (e.g. ServiceProvider Groups) and User Generated Groups. System Generated Groups aregenerated by the service administrator based on database informationabout the user. Examples include Intermediate Skill Level and CaliforniaBay Area San Francisco 49ers Fans. User Generated Groups are defined byone or more members. A member is able to generate a group either fromthe services website or from a cellular phone interface. To generate agroup, a member generates a name for the group or a generic name isassigned, and then the member adds other members to the group. Themember is able to add other members to the group by their handle (uniqueidentifier), email address (for new members) or by their cellular phonenumber. Groups are able to be assigned to a particular event. A group isable to be designated as an active group or a party. User group ownersgenerate a party by associating the group to a particular event (e.g.December 12 Monday Night Football Game). In some embodiments, an emailinvitation or text message is sent to inform the members of the groupthat they have been invited to a party. In some embodiments, users areable to generate a group by joining together “friends” on social networksites such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or any other site. For example,a user is able to select “all Facebook contacts” to invite to join agroup.

The game control server maintains a list of groups. Service ProviderGroups are automatically assigned to events. User Groups are assigned toevents by the group owners. In both cases, a list of active groups isknown before the start of the event such as parties for a particularevent. Within each of these known groups a list of all the participantsis also maintained. This is able to be implemented in several ways. Themost common way is via a database manager. This is able to be donethrough a data structure that is loaded for each event, and a databaseis one natural implementation to keep track of the group/participantrelationships.

Throughout the game, a server manages the scores for every player. Thescores are updated in a central location such as a database server, andare sorted with the members of a particular group to identify therankings for each member in the competition.

During an event, scores and rankings are sent to members of the variousgroups. This is done after each scoring opportunity, or at a slower pacesuch as every five minutes or every five scoring opportunities. Forsmall groups (e.g. 20 or less active participants) all of the scores andrankings are able to be sent by the server and displayed on theparticipant's device. For very large groups there are two approachesthat can be taken: 1) Common message or 2) Individualized message.Sending a common message for large groups is much more efficient on thenetwork, and is able to still provide a significant amount ofinformation. The message is able to contain the top 20 names and scoresfor this group as well as the score that is required to be in the top95%, 90%, 85%, . . . 5%. When the client receives this message, itdetermines what percentile the user is in by extrapolating its scorebetween the percentile scores that the user is between. In sending anindividual message for a large group, the server would still send thetop 20 names and scores as well as the exact percentile that this userfalls in.

Each separate tournament is managed effectively. A message is sent fromthe game server to the individual clients associated with each group.For very large groups, this message is able to be identical for all ofthose that are receiving the message. Past results tracked on the cellphone and in more detail on the website will track the rankings in eachof the different groups associated with an event. A selection ofpre-produced audio and visual comments, for example, in the nature oftaunts and cheers are able to be selected from a menu and sent to aspecific individual or to all competitors in the group.

Games of skill played on the Internet or cellular phones based upon livetelecast sporting events, popular game shows or commercials containedwithin the broadcast are expected to attract a large number of potentialcompetitors. As in all games of skill, there will be a wide variety ofexperience and talent and many motivations to play. To some, theenjoyment will be competing in open competitions against skilled playersto test their medal. For others, it may be just the ability to competeand possibly win against a handful of close friends who share the samepassion for the underlying televised event. Others may be more teamoriented and derive more enjoyment from participating as a member of thegroup. The method and systems described herein provide not only theability for an individual to find a group of competitors and a contestattractive to them, but also allows them to compete in multiple contestssimultaneously with the identical performance and with the sameinvestment of time. This increases not only the sense of community, butprovides greater opportunities for the satisfaction of beating friendsas well as winning prizes.

FIG. 1 illustrates a flowchart of a process of utilizing the presentinvention. In the step 100, competitive groups are generated related toevents. The competitive groups are either system generated or usergenerated. As described above, a system generated group is generallybased on skill level, location or another generic attribute that someusers qualify for, while other users do not. A user generated group isselected by a user where participants are added to the group by enteringa username, email address, cellular phone number, or anotherdistinguishing identifier. User generated groups typically includegroups of friends, co-workers and other groups of people that a userwants to compete with. Any number of system groups and user groups areable to be generated. In addition to determining who is included in thecompetition, the events being played within the competition areselected. For example, a user is able to set up a Monday Night Footballleague, wherein every Monday night for the regular season of the NFL,the users within the group compete based on the Monday night game. Insome embodiments, the specific games that the users compete in areselected at later dates beyond the initial generation of the group.

In the step 102, users couple to a network (e.g. a social network suchas GetGlu, Miso or a network game) to participate in the generatedcompetitions. In the step 104, the users are informed which competitionsare available for participation. For example, an intermediate usercouples to the network using his cellular phone and is greeted with alist of competitions available for him to join. The list includes, afree open competition for all intermediate players for a specified game,an individual group competition that his friend invited him to join alsofor the same specified game, a team competition that his co-workerswanted him to be a part of where it is a season long tournament whichincludes the same specified game and another system generatedcompetition also for the same game that costs $10 to enter with largerprizes available than the free competition. In the step 106, each userwho has coupled to the network joins the groups desired. Continuing withthe example above, the user decides to join the free open competition,the friend's competition and the co-worker competition but does not jointhe $10 competition.

In the step 108, the users then participate in the competitions bysending user selections (e.g. predictions) to a server within thenetwork for monitoring, analyzing and determining results based on theselections. Based on the results, standings for each competition arealso determined. Using the example above again, although the user joinedthree different competitions related to a single game, the user competesexactly the same as if he entered in only one of the competitions, sincehis input is distributed for the three different competitions.

In the step 110, the results based on the users' selections are stored.The results are stored in a way such that they are easily retrieved foreach competition. For example, a storing mechanism such as a databasestores the results of Game X for Player A where Player A's score is1000. In the free open competition, Player A's score was not good enoughto win a prize. However, in the friendly competition, it was the highestscore, and in the co-worker team competition it was a score usable bythe team. Therefore, although the score was not a winning score for onecompetition, it was a beneficial score in the other two competitions. Bycompeting in multiple competitions for the same game/event, a user'sresults/score could provide different outcomes depending on thecompetition. Therefore, the proper associations of each competition andthe score are required.

In the step 112, each user receives the results and/or standings on hiscellular phone or computer. The results and/or standings arrive atvarying times depending on the setup of the system. The results and/orstandings are received or at least accessible after the competitionends. If desired, the results and/or standings are also receivedthroughout the competition such as every five minutes or after a certainnumber of selections are made. The standings from the results determinewho wins at the end of the competition. While displayed during the game,the standings show what position the user is in. The standings are basedon the results of the selections made by the users.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart of a process of generating a usergenerated competition group. In the step 200, a user couples to a serverwithin a network (e.g. the Airplay Network) storing an application togenerate a competition group. In some embodiments, the application isstored on the user's cellular phone instead of or in addition to on theserver and is able to utilize HTML5 or use native applications on theuser's cellular phone such as Java and Flash, or HTML5. Using HTML5, theprocessing is performed on the server, and HTML5 allows the browser onthe mobile device to appear as an application even though it is a webpage. Preferably, the application provides a graphical user interfacesuch as an interactive website for easily generating the competitiongroup. In the step 202, the user selects the type of competition, suchas open, head-to-head or team, in addition to other types ofcompetitions. The user also adds any additional requirements orconditions such as intermediate players only or $2 entry fee with thewinner-take-all. Additionally, the user labels or names the competitiongroup. In the step 204, competitors are added to the competition. Thecompetitors are added based on a username, phone number, email addressor another identification mechanism. In the step 206, either at theinitial set up of the competition group or later on, one or more eventsare selected to be competed in. For example, if a user wants to set up acompetition specifically for Super Bowl XLI, he is able to designatethat immediately. Or if a user wants to start a week-long competitionrelated to Jeopardy, he is able to do that as well. The user is alsoable to retain the same group and modify it to generate a secondcompetition. For example, after the Super Bowl XLI competition ends, theuser is able to generate another competition with the same group for theNCAA BCS Bowl Championship Game. Users are able to generate as basic oras complex a competition group as desired. As described above, it isable to be for a single event, a variety of events or an entire seasonof events. Preferably, a database is utilized to organize thecompetition groups for easy correlation of data.

FIG. 3 illustrates a graphical representation of an embodiment of thepresent invention. A server 300 contains an application 302 and astorage mechanism 304. The application 302 is preferably a webapplication or at least has a web component to enable users to interactwith a web graphical user interface to input data and review data. Thestorage mechanism 304 is utilized for storing selections and resultsfrom the selections as well as competition groups. The storage mechanism304 preferably includes a database for organizing the data including theselections, results, standings and competition groups amongst other dataneeded for executing the competitions. The server 300 is part of anetwork 306. A device 308 couples to the server 300 through the network306. In some embodiments the network 306 includes the Internet. In someembodiments, the network 306 includes a cellular network Also, in someembodiments, the network 306 includes both the Internet and a cellularnetwork. The device 308 is selected from a cellular phone, a PDA, acomputer, a laptop, a smart phone (e.g. an iPhone®), a tablet (e.g. aniPad®), or any other device capable of communicating with the server300. As described above, in some embodiments, an application forallowing users to generate competition groups, input selections andcommunicate with the server in general is included in the device 308instead of or in addition to the application 302 on the server 300.

FIG. 4 illustrates a graphical representation of a network of devices.As described above, the server 300 contains the application 302 and thestorage mechanism 304 for inputting and outputting data related to thecompetitions. The device 308, couples to the network through a network306. As described above, the network includes either the Internet, acellular network or both. Although the device 308 is able to be a deviceother than a cellular phone as shown, other devices are also showncoupled to the network 306 therefore forming a network of devices 400.The other devices include a laptop 310, a computer 312 and a PDA 314.One of the devices 308 is shown with an application 320 for enabling theuser to generate competition groups and communicate with the server 300.

In some embodiments, handicaps are implemented so that users ofdifferent levels are able to compete more fairly. Handicaps provideadditional points to users at lower levels so their score is comparableto a more advanced user. The handicaps are determined based on analysisof the scoring. For example, if advanced users on average score 3000,while intermediate users on average score 2000 and beginners on averagescore 1000 for the same set of questions, then a fair handicap is 1000per difference in level. Thus, when there is a friendly competitionbetween one user who is advanced by playing every week and threebeginner users who play once a month just for fun, a straight gamewithout handicaps is not likely going to be a close competition.However, if the beginner users are given help to put them on par withthe advanced user, then the outcome of the competition could result in abeginner user winning.

In some embodiments, each user competes in the same game, but slightlydifferent sets of questions/choices are posed based on the competitionlevel. For example, an intermediate user chooses to play in an openintermediate competition and also with a group of beginner friends. Eachof the beginner users is asked to choose what type of play the followingplay is going to be (e.g. Run or Pass). The intermediate user is alsoasked to choose the following play. However, the intermediate user isalso asked to choose which direction the play will go (e.g. Left orRight). Therefore, the same game is being played to some extent, butthere is a slight modification, so that more advanced users haveadditional options. However, when scoring, the additional options applyonly across the same level. Thus, the user selecting Left or Rightcorrectly has no effect on the scoring in the beginner competition. Itonly affects scoring for the intermediate competition. Thus, users areable to compete at different levels for the same event.

In some embodiments, interactive advertising is used in games of chanceand/or skill, sweepstakes, promotional awards, offering frequent playerpoints. For example, a game of skill is played where the game is basedon the content of an advertisement or commercial. In some embodiments,users are provided with a template and/or other facilities to generateseparate games and contests within the games and promotions available toall.

In some embodiments, a contest involves a sweepstakes event, a game ofskill or a promotional event available to all viewing a common event,such as a television broadcast or webcast. In some embodiments, theevent is a television commercial. In some embodiments, each and everyviewer receives a pre-determined amount of fungible currency such as“points.” In some embodiments, the points are earned for watching and/orparticipating with the television commercial. In some embodiments, thepoints are redeemable for prizes, services or any other purpose. A useror member of the service is able to choose from an existing template ofgame formats, or segments of formats, and using the service's ability tocouple to and communicate with their friends who are members watching orotherwise, or through social networks such as Facebook, Twitter orGoogle+, invite friends to participate in their separate event. In someembodiments, the event is able to require all participants in a cohortto pool all points they are to receive for watching and have all pointsgo to that member from this cohort chosen at random utilizing softwaresupplied by the company operating the service. The system selects andcredits all of the points won to the appropriate person's account.Instead of the points being awarded by chance, the winner of the pointsis based on skill, for example, is able to be the person from the cohortwho answers all of the questions correctly with the cumulative fastestresponse time (e.g. the least time elapsed between display of thequestion and the entry of the correct answer). In some embodiments, thepoints are awarded in another manner. In some cases, users form teamsand challenge other competitors (e.g. friends) to form teams where totalscores are used, for teams with a specific number of members, or averagescores for teams with unlimited number of members.

In some embodiments, participants about to watch a television commercialin exchange for a free entry into a sweepstakes available to all viewershave the ability to invite friends to pool their sweepstakes entries sothat if any of the accepting members of the group is chosen, theresulting award is divided among the group as provided by the terms ofthe invitation, for example, to be shared equally or to be dividedequally among participants (possibly participants chosen at random). Insome embodiments, the contest involves solving a puzzle or playing aword game like Scrabble®, where team contests are enabled which permitteams of friends to work collaboratively.

Users are able to leverage various groups of friends to join a closedcontest, where the organizer not only provides the system and method ofgenerating the group but also provides various templates or separateelements of games and contests allowing the organizer/inviter to clickon the desired elements, designate eligible friends, and have a companygenerate the separate contest, administer the contest and the resultsand credit the winnings.

In some embodiments, payment of separate consideration such as “points”from member's credit balances or separate cash micropayments is able tobe implemented. In some embodiments, a user pays a separateconsideration to play in a contest of the multiple contests of skillthrough a micropayments system, where a prize is supplemented or fundedby an entry fee or consideration paid by all who participate in a group.

In some embodiments, a game of skill is synchronized with a televisionbroadcast. The synchronization is able to be implemented in any mannerincluding, but not limited to, watermarking, fingerprinting and anyother implementation. For example, the mobile device and/or the game ofskill application determines the start (or some other point) in abroadcast, synchronizes the game with the broadcast. For example, a gamethat is based on commercials, is synchronized with the broadcast, sothat when the commercials appear, the game begins. In some embodiments,advertisements/commercials are displayed on a user's mobile devicesynchronized with the content of the television. For example, if user iswatching football on television, the mobile device is able to detectthat and present the user a football or beer advertisement.

One methodology of synchronizing a game of skill or chance with atelevision broadcast requires the cooperation of an employee of the gameprovider based on visual observation of the telecast for that market,utilizing a personal computer and the Internet, or by utilizing theirlocal cellular phone, all coupled to the game server.

Another methodology includes utilizing an audio or video recognitionsystem with online access to the broadcast of the underlying televisionprogram for each separate market which provides real-time tracking ofthe television broadcast to the game control server, ensuring the gamedata file is able to be precisely synchronized to the televisionpicture. Information is also able to be inserted in a Vertical BankingInterval (VBI) of the taped syndicated show and tracked online in realtime by the game control server. For remote telecasts and onlineconnection from a remote device, reading data embedded in the VBI via ahigh speed connection to the central game server is utilized. Utilizingsome of the procedures outlined above, the propagation delays in thereceipt of the cellular transmissions are also monitored and the gameserver adjusts the data files containing the “lock outs” to accommodatethe systemic delay in the delivery of the game data on the cellularnetworks. In some embodiments, a signal based on audio recognition issent to a server which synchronizes a preproduced file displayed oncohorts' clients.

Another methodology, with the cooperation of the producers of gameshows, precise audio or video events in the telecast could either beadded to the video, such as a visible count down, or existing events inthe telecast identified by the producers as synchronization points whichthe competitors could utilize as start points for the previouslydownloaded data files at the press of an appropriate button on theircellular phone. This would trigger the launch of a program previouslydownloaded to the phone's RAM. Then, time synchronization would belaunched.

One more methodology, referred to as watermarking, uses an audio signal,possibly sub-audible to humans, typically an audio artifact unique to aparticular program, which is inserted into the taped audio trackrecognizable by the audio receiver in a cellular phone which would beutilized to start and/or continually keep the pre-produced data filesresident on the cellular phone in synchronization with the telecast.

“Fingerprinting” records the soundtrack of every television programs'audio to a server. The microphone on a client is coupled to a massiveaudio archive on a server to identify what television program is beingviewed and synchronize files on a server with the unfolding broadcastincluding the commercials.

In some embodiments, the game experience for users competing in games ofskill or chance who experience a variety of propagation delays relatingto where and how they receive a television broadcast is synchronized(e.g. using watermarking or fingerprinting).

To utilize the present invention, users select from or generatecompetition groups to participate in. The users select system generatedcompetition groups which are specific to levels, geographic locationsand other general categories. The users are also able to generate theirown competition groups which include friends, family, co-workers orother groups of people they choose. After the competition groups aregenerated, users are able to join whichever group they are invited to.After joining one or more groups, the users are able to join additionalgroups beyond that as they are generated and become available to theuser. A user is informed of the competition groups available forentering either by email, Short Message Service (SMS) text message,voice message or when the user couples to the network to view/playcompetitions. After joining the desired competition groups, the userparticipates in the competitions by answering questions or makingselections based on viewing a sporting event, television show, gameshow, commercials contained within the broadcast or other event whereskill or chance is involved in making choices. In addition, games ofskill or games of chance with a common start time can be conductedsimultaneously in real-time, based on classic card, dice, trivia, wordand other games. The selections/answers/predictions are stored andresults and/or standings are sent to the user. The results and/orstandings throughout the competition show how well the user is doingcompared to other competitors via standings, and when the competition isover, the results and/or standings determine who the winner is.Additionally, since multiple competitions are occurring based on asingle event, the results and standings are organized so that the useris able to understand how he is doing in each event. For example, if auser is winning by a large margin in his two friendly competitions, butis slightly out of prize position in the open competition, he will notsimply relax and coast to victory in his friendly competitions. He isable to realize that by performing slightly better, he still has achance to win a prize in the open competition, while still winningeasily in the friendly competitions.

In operation, the present invention allows users to set up and competein multiple competitions for a single event. Although users arecompeting against typically different competitors in differentcompetition groups, the same selections are utilized to produce scoresthat have specific meaning based on the competition group. As describedabove, a user may lose in one competition group but win in anothercompetition group because the competitors are different. Also, therequirements of each group are different as well. For example, in teamplay, if the top two scores are counted and the user has one of the toptwo scores, then his score is important even though he lost in adifferent competition group. In another example, the competition groupis a season long event where there is no weekly winner, but only ayear-end winner. Thus, although the competitor is doing terrible oneweek and has no chance of winning the separate weekly competition, theuser is still encouraged to do as well as possible for the year-endtotal. By allowing users to compete in multiple competition groups forthe same event, the user interaction increases substantially. Forexample, instead of a user simply playing his standard weeklyintermediate football competition, the user is also invited to play inhis family's tournament for bragging rights, his friend's competitionwhere the winner gets $20 and his co-worker's competition where thelowest score pays for a round of drinks the following Friday. With morechances to win, users have a much more vested interest in competing. Toensure users do not get frustrated with the scoring, the results and/orstandings are displayed in a very user-friendly format so that a userknows how well he is doing in each respective competition.

In some embodiments, multiple servers are used within the network. Forexample, one server is dedicated for the scoring, a separate server isdedicated for the database and another server is dedicated for hostingthe graphical user interface.

The present invention has been described in terms of specificembodiments incorporating details to facilitate the understanding ofprinciples of construction and operation of the invention. Suchreference herein to specific embodiments and details thereof is notintended to limit the scope of the claims appended hereto. It will bereadily apparent to one skilled in the art that other variousmodifications may be made in the embodiment chosen for illustrationwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as definedby the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method programmed in a server device, the method comprising: a. providing to a user device from the server device a list of competitive participant groups to join, wherein the list of competitive participant groups to join is based on a user's physical location; b. receiving user input including a selection of a plurality of competitive participant groups to join, wherein the plurality of competitive participant groups corresponds to one or more events; c. receiving additional user input including a set of event selections related to the one or more events, wherein the set of event selections comprises predictions available before the one or more events of occurrences happening during the one or more events and enables simultaneously participating with the plurality of competitive participant groups; and d. triggering a lockout signal in the server device to prevent further additional user input.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the list of competitive participant groups to join is based on a user's skill level.
 3. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving the user input to join an additional competitive participant group that has been generated after a user has selected the plurality of competitive participant groups to join.
 4. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing at least one competitive participant group of the list of competitive participant groups to join using a short message service message.
 5. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing real-time standings separated based on each competitive participant group.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more events are viewed in person by a person physically attending a venue corresponding to the one or more events, and the lockout is triggered by the person physically attending the venue.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the lockout signal occurs immediately before participants are able to see or hear relevant live action unfold.
 8. The method of claim 1 wherein the lockout signal involves an in-progress play in the event, not during a stoppage, and preventing submitting the response before a critical element of the in-progress play unfolds.
 9. The method of claim 1 wherein the lockout signal suspends an ability to enter a prediction for a limited amount of time.
 10. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of event selections further comprises predictions available during the one or more events of occurrences happening during the one or more events.
 11. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more events take place over one day.
 12. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more events take place over multiple days.
 13. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more events comprise a segment of an athletic contest.
 14. The method of claim 13 wherein the lockout signal occurs before a beginning of the segment of the athletic contest.
 15. A server device comprising: a. a memory for storing an application, the application configured for i. providing a list of competitive participant groups to join, wherein the list of competitive participant groups to join is based on a user's physical location; ii. receiving user input including a selection of a plurality of competitive participant groups to join, wherein the plurality of competitive participant groups corresponds to one or more events; iii. receiving additional user input including a set of event selections related to the one or more events, wherein the set of event selections comprises predictions available before the one or more events of occurrences happening during the one or more events and enables simultaneously participating with the plurality of competitive participant groups; iv. triggering a lockout signal to prevent further additional user input; and v. providing real-time standings and results related to the set of event selections simultaneously to each of the competitive participant groups, wherein the real-time standings are based on the results; and b. a processor for processing the application.
 16. The server device of claim 15 wherein the application is further configured for receiving the user input to join an additional competitive participant group that has been generated after a user has selected the plurality of competitive participant groups to join.
 17. The server device of claim 15 wherein the application is further configured for providing at least one competitive participant group of the list of competitive participant groups to join using a short message service message.
 18. The server device of claim 15 wherein the one or more events are viewed in person by a person physically attending a venue corresponding to the one or more events, and the lockout is triggered by the person physically attending the venue.
 19. The server device of claim 15 wherein lockout signal involves an in-progress play in the event, not during a stoppage, and preventing submitting the response before a critical element of the in-progress play unfolds.
 20. The server device of claim 15 wherein the one or more events take place over one day.
 21. The server device of claim 15 wherein the one or more events take place over multiple days.
 22. The server device of claim 15 wherein the one or more events comprise a segment of an athletic contest.
 23. The server device of claim 22 wherein the lockout signal occurs before a beginning of the segment of the athletic contest.
 24. A device comprising: a. a memory for storing an application, the application configured for i. receiving a list of competitive participant groups to join, wherein the list of competitive participant groups to join is based on a user's physical location; ii. receiving user input including a selection of a plurality of competitive participant groups to join, wherein the plurality of competitive participant groups corresponds to one or more events; iii. receiving additional user input including a set of event selections related to the one or more events, wherein the set of event selections comprises predictions available before the one or more events of occurrences happening during the one or more events and enables simultaneously participating with the plurality of competitive participant groups; iv. receiving a lockout signal to prevent further additional user input; and v. displaying real-time standings and results related to the set of event selections simultaneously to each of the competitive participant groups, wherein the real-time standings are based on the results; and b. a processor for processing the application.
 25. The device of claim 24 wherein the application is further configured for receiving the user input to join an additional competitive participant group that has been generated after a user has selected the plurality of competitive participant groups to join.
 26. The device of claim 24 wherein the application is further configured for receiving at least one competitive participant group of the list of competitive participant groups to join using a short message service message.
 27. The device of claim 24 wherein the one or more events are viewed in person by a person physically attending a venue corresponding to the one or more events, and the lockout is triggered by the person physically attending the venue.
 28. The device of claim 24 wherein the one or more events take place over one day.
 29. The device of claim 24 wherein the one or more events take place over multiple days.
 30. The device of claim 24 wherein the one or more events comprise a segment of an athletic contest.
 31. The device of claim 30 wherein the lockout signal occurs before a beginning of the segment of the athletic contest. 